Land stewardship is an integral part of the Land Trust’s mission and work. Once a property is acquired by the Land Trust, it is never relinquished. We assume perpetual responsibility and remain committed to the long-term caretaking of the land and its natural resources. Where there is public access, we seek to balance the protected conservation values of a property with appropriate use and enjoyment. When our land includes or adjoins ponds, streams, and rivers, we look after their protection as well. Our stewardship activities are carried out in a variety of ways.
Property Maintenance
With almost 1,000 acres of land and 26 miles of trail owned in fee, the Land Trust prioritizes maintenance needs based on a property’s natural resources, including wildlife and recreational activity. Mowing meadows and paths, clearing trails, controlling invasive terrestrial and aquatic plant species, and installing signage are all examples of ongoing caretaking activities carried out by Land Trust trustees, staff, volunteers, and hired contractors. The Land Trust continues to develop and revise long-term property management plans.
We remove garlic mustard from our properties every April and May in coordination with the Town-wide program of the Division of Natural Resources. Water chestnut removal from Fairhaven Bay and the Sudbury River occurs annually in the summer through the volunteer River Stewardship Program. The MetroWest Conservation Alliance (MCA) Weed Warrior program provides training and organized work days to remove targeted invasive plant species, such as glossy buckthorn, Asian bittersweet, bush honeysuckle, and others, from designated conservation properties.
Conservation Restriction (CR) Monitoring
The Land Trust works diligently to maintain helpful and respectful relationships with the landowners of each CR. We monitor restrictions on a regular cycle to ensure that the terms and conditions of the original agreement are upheld, and that the purpose of the restriction continues to be observed. Whenever possible, Land Trust monitors walk the CR with the landowner. Written reports and photographic documentation are prepared and shared with landowners. We also work with landowners to help them understand and interpret the “reserved rights” of their CR, and we provide approval for permissible projects.
Deer Hunting
Since 1997, the Land Trust has overseen a bow hunting program in Wright Woods and Bigelow Woods/Soutter Field. A small group of qualified, vetted bow hunters, with whom the Land Trust and abutting neighbors to Land Trust properties have established relationships, are granted written permission each fall to harvest deer. The time period is determined by the Commonwealth and generally runs from early-October through the end of December.
The program was started in response to requests by several abutters to try to control the deer population in these areas. An overabundant deer population has a negative impact on the ecology of the forested habitat; the forest understory in Wright Woods and Bigelow Woods (or any woods in Concord and across the region), for example, has become sparse and the plant communities increasingly less diverse. Through this hunting program, the Land Trust is applying one approach to help restore the essential ecological services that a diverse forest provides.
Note: There is a long waitlist for the hunting program. Openings are not expected in the foreseeable future.
Scientific Study
The Land Trust supports activities that promote scientific understanding of our natural areas, and evidence-based solutions to environmental problems that take an ecological and conservation approach. We are involved in a number of research projects. Currently, we are participating in a longitudinal study begun by Harvard Forest and Brandeis University to analyze the impacts of deer browsing in our forests. As part of this multi-town study, we currently have three deer exclosures and associated control plots on our land. For many years, the Land Trust has been supporting Bryan Windmiller of Zoo New England and his successful work to restore the Blanding’s turtle population in the Concord area through monitoring and management; efforts include “headstarting” and releasing hatchling turtles. We are also participating in the New England-wide Beecology Project, run by UMass Dartmouth and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. The project digitally collects plant-pollinator interactions to develop conservation and restoration strategies that target at-risk species, whose declines threaten biodiversity and ecosystem health.
Restoration
Restoration is another important part of caretaking. Due to the effects of climate change, habitats and wildlife are experiencing shifts in weather patterns. In response, the Land Trust commenced a reforestation project in Wright Woods in September 2021 that has introduced over 100 native tree species adapted to the drier soils of this area and its changing climate: white and black oaks, pignut hickories, hazelnuts, and witch-hazels. The following year, we began a native plant restoration project at Brooks-Hudson Meadow that removed invasive plant species and replaced them with a native, wet-meadow seed mix and native plugs, including foxglove beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis), blue cardinal flower (Lobelia siphilitica), and blazing star (Liatris spicata).
Properly designed trails last longer, protect the environment, and require less maintenance. Trails in New England and across Concord often follow old cart paths and farm roads, which were efficient at the time but didn’t always avoid wet areas, steep slopes, critical habitats, and other environmentally sensitive areas. As a result, the Land Trust continues to evaluate its trail systems, and fix or reroute segments that are problematic.
In June of 2022, Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) and Land Trust volunteers closed a badly eroded and degraded section of trail in Wright Woods and cut in a new, sustainably designed trail in its place. In November of 2022, the Willard School Cub Scout Pack closed a poorly maintained section of trail at Miller Farm and built a new trail segment, which follows the contours of the property. Bog board bridges have been added to areas with sustained wetness, whether seasonally or year-round, including Newbury Field, Hallenbeck Land, and Garfield Road properties.
